Summer Succotash Tilaipa

An easy way to eat more fish: fool-proof tilapia with summer succotash salad.

When was the last time you ate fish? We go through periods of being absolutely obsessed with eating fish using a specific cooking method...and then go off of it for a few weeks. Last time our obsession hinged on lightly breading fish and baking it. Today's fish recipe is so ridiculously fast (less than 10 minutes) and easy I'm hoping you'll get hooked (HA!).

I think so many people don't eat fish because they're overwhelmed by food safety. Either they're not sure how to tell when it's 'done' (I mean with chicken or beef you can cut it open and know easily with color), or they're so concerned with making sure it IS 'done' the fish becomes over baked, dry and flavorless. To know if your tilapia is done cooking, you're going for white and flaky. You could use a knife or a fork and cut into it and see the meat flake apart.

Today we are going to cook lightly floured tilapia in cast iron for three minutes on each side to yield a golden browned filet that's lightly crisped and perfectly cooked. SO FAST! While today's recipe pairs it with a summer succotash salad, you can easily pair it with steamed veggies, or stir fried veggies and rice, or put it on a sandwich. Quick pan cooking this fish is going to give you a cooking method you can use again and again. 

So get confident. Cook the damn fish. 

Summer Succotash Tilaipa

Entrée: Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 tilapia filets
• 1/8 cup flour
• salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons butter

salad

• 1 teaspoon bacon pan drippings or butter
• 1/4 cup fresh or defrosted frozen corn
• 1/4 cup fresh or defrosted frozen baby lima beans
• 1 small tomato, sliced into rounds then cut into quarters
• purple basil (any basil is fine)
• salt and pepper

Directions: 

In a shallow bowl, stir flour, salt, pepper and old bay together. Dip each side of the tilapia filets into the flour. Heat a cast iron skillet with the butter, add fish to cast iron and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Fish is done when golden brown on both sides and the meat flakes with a fork.

To make salad, heat fat of choice in a pan. Add defrosted or fresh corn and lima beans. Cook for 3-5 minutes until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with cut fresh tomato and basil. Serve with hot fish.